Posts Tagged ‘Parkinson’s disease’

Many neuroscientists will tell you that nerve cells in the brain (called neurons) are the most important part of the nervous system. They are, after all, the primary cells of the nervous system, responsible for conducting electrical currents to encode and process our senses, thoughts, memories and emotions. But there is a growing contingent of neuroscientists who study other brain cells called glia, named for the Greek word for glue. For much of the last … Read More

Traditional brain imaging with CT and MRI scans do not show changes in the brain when someone has Parkinson’s disease and are generally not helpful in diagnosis. A new kind of brain scan, called a DaT scan, does show changes in persons with Parkinson’s disease and may someday become an important tool in diagnosing Parkinson’s. The dopamine transporter, or DaT, scan uses a chemical that labels the dopamine transporter in the area of the brain … Read More

Functional neurosurgery is surgery intended to improve brain function. These procedures have been applied to the treatment of pain, movement disorders, epilepsy, and behavioral disorders. In the past, the techniques were mostly targeted destruction of brain tissue or pathways. In very specific areas, destroying brain tissue could actually help — by decreasing a person’s tremors from movement disorders, for instance. Now with deep brain stimulation technology, these techniques are being replaced by reversible, and non-damaging … Read More

Tremor is the most common movement seen in persons with Parkinson’s disease. But other movements can also be seen. A resting tremor, which is found in about 80 percent of persons with Parkinson’s disease, is a rhythmic movement that most often starts in one hand. It generally is most prominent when the hand is resting and relaxed. Over time it often travels to the opposite hand or to the leg on the same side of … Read More

Oregonians becoming “brain aware” — that is the goal of the OHSU Brain Institute’s Brain Awareness Season Lecture Series. Everyone wonders or worries about their brain. There is so much to learn and understand. And brain science — neuroscience — transforms society, from parenting to prisons, from autism discoveries to Alzheimer’s prevention and from creating new policies to improving current medical practices. The 2013 Brain Awareness Lecture series — which begins Feb. 25 and runs … Read More

Feeling blue? It may be more than just the Portland winter weather getting you down if you have Parkinson’s disease. About one-third of people with Parkinson’s disease suffer from clinical depression at any point in time and two-thirds will experience a depressive episode at some point during the course of the disease. The symptoms of depression include feeling worried, sad, tearful, tired, guilty, irritable, or unloved. People can lose interest in activities, have changes in … Read More

Do you notice that you are not sleeping as well during the holiday season? There can be a number of possible reasons for that; one includes a disorder called restless leg syndrome, or RLS. RLS is diagnosed by clinical symptoms. Four necessary features must be present: 1) an urge to move the legs, usually accompanied by an uncomfortable or unpleasant sensation in the legs; 2) the urge or unpleasant sensation begins or worsens during periods … Read More